Keith's Blog

The National Science Foundation has issued its long-awaited plans for expanded public access to publications and data emerging from its funded research. I have always argued that open access is, at its heart, about ensuring the widest possible audience for research, much of which has been publicly funded, and for showcasing scholarship at the levels of the individual, the research team, the institution, and the nation. I've never been wholly persuaded that open access is (at least in the short-medium term) going to damage publishers' revenues, nor is it likely to reduce the financial burden on university libraries. But what do publishers think? What do they tell their shareholders?